Living in Lakewood, WA
Suburb in Washington
Lakewood is a suburb in Washington, home to about 63,000 people, with 2.0 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a fast pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Lakewood a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Mild summers: highs around 74°F
- Easy flying: SEA is 22 mi away
- Strong healthcare: 5 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
👎 Cons
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer graduates: 23% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Higher crime: violent crime is 2.0× the US rate (FBI 2019)
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Lakewood ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Lakewood: common questions
What is the cost of living in Lakewood?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $491k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,730 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 111, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Lakewood?
Washington collects about $70 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.93% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Lakewood safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (2.0× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Lakewood?
Lakewood has cool winters: winter days average around 47°F and summer days around 74°F, with roughly 6″ of snow a year.
Does Lakewood get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from earthquakes and flooding: 8 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.35 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Lakewood?
The nearest major airport is SEA, about 22 mi away.
How Lakewood scores
Each bar compares Lakewood with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Lakewood right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.